Juan Martin del Potro: I Think I’m Playing Better Now Than When I Won The US Open
It was a tough defeat for Juan Martin del Potro after losing yesterday in a final set breaker to Novak Djokovic in the Shanghai Rolex Masters final, but the Argentine confidently says his playing better now than when he stunned Roger Federer to win the 2009 US Open.
“I think I’m playing even better than many years ago,” del Potro said. “I got good things on my career this year. I couldn’t win a Grand Slam like I did in 2009, but I reach finals in the 1000 Masters. I already win three tournaments. I beat the top guys, which is fantastic for me.
“I think I’m playing even better than 2009 or 2008 or last year. That’s important. That’s a good thing for the future. I’m still having the same goal which is getting closer to the top guys. If I still working like this, I hope I can be there one day.”
Djokovic added his thoughts on del Potro’s game, saying, “Since his first Grand Slam title in 2009, we all knew has a caliber to be a top tennis player and always a contender to win any Grand Slam he plays on. With his serve and his game, for his height, he moves extremely well. He uses the court very good. He has a very good anticipation. He’s mentally really strong.”
Del Potro ends his two-week Asia stretch with a title in Tokyo and a runner-up in Shanghai where he also rattled Rafael Nadal’s cage. But losing to Djokovic was still a disappointment.
“I mean, the match was really close all the time,” del Potro said. “But in the end he play better points than me on tiebreak. He took the match.”
Del Potro also qualified for the London ATP Finals next month. Del Potro is scheduled to play in Basel next week.
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